Updated June 1st, 2011Garmin have just announced a new generation of eTrex handheld GPS systems, the eTrex 10/20/30 that takes over from the eTrex H series launched in 2007 with the original models dating back to 1998.

Unlike the Oregon and Dakota , the eTrex doesn't have a touchscreen, which can be inconvenient, but makes for better outdoor legibility, better battery life...and lower prices. This seems to be the main selling point here with prices being respectively $120 (10/basic), $200 (20/color) and $300 (30/sensors), when the basic Dakota starts at $300. The new form factor is pleasing to the eye but we'll have to wait to see whether the interface has been streamlined. You can use the [NEWS] Garmin eTrex 2011 Series 10/20/30 handhelds topic in the "GPS and Mobile News" forums to discuss.

Updated May 25th, 2010 - When the Garmin Colorado handheld was launched in 2007, followed by the Oregon in 2008 and the Dakota in 2009, it seemed Garmin was moving away from its successful GPSMAP series...

..., the 76 and 60 released to much acclaim in 2006, being the first handhelds with a high-sensitivity chipset, SiRF's SiRFstarIII. Well they're back !

First up the GPSMAP 78 already visible on Garmin's site that takes over from the 76 with its IPX7 rating. Next up is the yet announced GPSMAP 62st visible on the "Bass Pro" website who had leaked the eTrex H for us in 2007. Of particular interest is the "Incredibly sensitive" description, which could well mean that they will be the first handhelds with the SiRFstarIV chipset (already available on the FR110 watch). You can use the Garmin Handhelds : GPSMAP 78, 62 - SiRF4 ? topic in the News forums to discuss.

Updated September 22nd, 2009 - Garmin's line-up of handheld GPS devices is now quite impressive with the recent addition of the Dakota a "mini-Oregon" of sorts with the screen resolution of the eTrex/60Cx but the convenient touchscreen of the...

... Oregon. The Oregon 550T was the other new model of the summer and broke new ground with its built-in 3.2Mp camera.

Garmin are not forgetting their older models though and they released new versions for both the Colorado (v3.00) and the Oregon (v3.20) with interesting new features such as the nifty waypoint averaging application, handling og all .img map files in the Garmin directory.

Updated May 20th, 2009 - In an unusual move, Garmin have been regularly releasing new beta software versions for the Oregon series, and very interesting features have been added along the way...

... : "Sight'N'Go", Intelligent Averaging and "Man Overboard". The latest v2.98b came with a new v3.40 GPS fimware that will hopefully fix the "no fix" and "random drift" problems of the previous v2.80. More details in the Garmin Oregon "Touch" - Reviews - v2.98b topic of the "Handheld Portable GPS Receivers" forums.

If you still have some updating energy left after installing all these betas, you can give xArtx's Garmin Oregon Whiz software a try as it will let you customize the screens of your device.

Updated March 13th, 2009 - One of the good "GPS suprises" of 2008 was certainly the Garmin Oregon handheld GPS system with "Auto-AGPS" that brought significantly improved usability to handheld systems with its touchscreen. The downside of this breakthrough is that the screen captures less light than older models, but it remains usable even in the extreme light of the mountains as I recently found using the Snowranger v2 Ski maps in the Alps...

Garmin are also staying busy, and keeping us busy, with a series of beta software releases, the latest being v2.93, possibly to accomodate the new raster maps currently available in the UK and hopefully in North America soon too. You can use the Garmin Oregon "Touch" - Reviews - v2.93b to discuss the Oregon range.

Updated July 11th, 2008 - The Oregon range is now official and even has its own mini-site. Touch screen confirmed, all hardware buttons gone, the jury is out on how convenient that will be in the field...Updated July 9th, 2008 - Garmin released the Colorado 300/400 handheld systems earlier this year to some disappointment after the solid eTrex and 60CSx series and have been fine-tuning since, with beta releases, the latest beingv2.54b. The new version may have been delayed by two projects Garmin and working on, the Oregon and nuvi 500 "off-road" systems.

Thanks to some online stores that jumped the gun on the announcement of a Garmin Handheld again, we found out about the Oregon family with the 200, 300, 400c, 400i, 400t models. Based on the specs they seem to be close to the recent Colorado series, with the notable addition of a touch screen, as on the Magellan Triton handhelds. Even less is known about the nüvi 500 Crossover that was disclosed by a French site in June, probably after it was shown at the Medpi show in Monaco. This is the device many GPS users have been waiting for, a jack of all trades in the compact 2x5 format.

Updated March 14th, 2008 - The Garmin Colorado 300 has been available in the US for several weeks now but is only making its way to Europe. A test unit has just arrived in the "GpsPasSion Labs" and first impressions are good. The map rendering is particularly impressive compared to the 60CSx, both in terms of speed and color. The "Rocker" is easy to get used to and more convenient than it seemed at first sight. The only concern is for the battery life that...... is well below the rated 15 hours. More comments and comparative pictures in this topic of the "Handheld Portable GPS Receivers" forums and make sure you check out this excellent Colorado FAQ by g.o.cashers too.

Updated December 10th, 2007 - Garmin is readying a new Colorado range of handheld GPS receivers to take over from the excellent 60 and 76 series that were released two years ago. The Colorado 300 and 400 systems feature an intriguing "Rock'n'Roll" joystick as per the brochure. The specs are appealing with a hi-res 200x400 color screen, a SD port, a 2D compass, an altimeter, a thermometer (a first for Garmin) and an "ANT" mode to transfer data wirelessly between units. The 16 hour battery life on two AA batteries suggests...... that the SiRFstarIII chipset is onboard. You can use this thread of the Handheld forums to discuss.

Updated May 13th, 2006 - v2.71 beta is now available with the return of track recording to the microSD and even better, connecting directly to the 60/76 via USB to access the content of the microSD.Updated 05/10 - Garmin have just added a v2.70 update for their 60/76 - Cx/Csx family of standalone receivers. Main fix appears to be the calculation of total ascent/descent, unfortunately the track saving...... to the microSD that appeared on 2.62b is gone, more details and links in the 60/76 - Cx/CSx thread.

Updated 03/17 - Seeing is believing and Garmin's brave move to SiRFstarIII for the 60 and 76 families really makes sense after using a 60Cx for a few days. While SIRFstarIII on the road adds some "comfort" compared to SiRFII, on the path it makes a significant difference when carrying the unit in your pocket or in your backpack under tree cover. In any case a [SINGLE TOPIC] was certainly well "deserved"...... and we're kicking it off with an exciting new v2.62 beta upgrade that adds track saving to the memory card and city search across all maps in memory.

Updated 02/10 - The nüvi was the first Garmin receiver to use the powerful SiRFstarIII chipset, but the standalone GPS60 is the first to get a "chipset upgrade", and site member sergio_bzh compared the reception of his SiRFIII based 60Cx and of his Garmin based 60C. Pictures and comments in this thread. of the forums.

Updated 01/03/2006 - It's official, the new Garmin SiRFstarIII based 60 and 76 handhelds have been announced on their site under the "Garmin® Launches “X”-treme Handheld Makeover" headline ! Just on time for the CES show that starts in Las Vegas on Thursday where Garmin will also be showing the new 205 and 305 SiRFIII Forerunners as well as the new PalmOS iQue 3000. Stay tuned for more on the nüvi-blog and with the GpsPasSion Team that will be on location to cover the show...... ! In the meantime, you can use this thread to discuss.

Updated 11/25 - This keeps getting better ! The powerful SiRFstarIII chipset is also coming to the Garmin G60 and G76 handhelds with a memory card (the diminutive Transflash seen on the i3) added for good measure. While Garmin commented at the time of the announcement of the partnership with SiRF that they would only use the SiRF chipsets in select devices, it does seem the list is getting longer. More details and links in this thread started by forum membrer tron_1......Updated 09/02 - In an unexpected move that sounds like a "mini-revolution" in the world of GPS, Garmin have just announced that they have partnered with SiRF to use the ultrapowerful SIRFstarIII... chipset in upcoming GPS receivers, the first in line being the Edge 205 for cyclists. A change that will certainly be welcome by fans of all things GPS, as the Garmin chipset sometimes struggled to keep up as seen in this comparison.... Thanks to Xenophon for sharing the news in this thread of the forums.

Updated 04/18Several new parts are now up: Coated Windshields - On the trail (pedestrian) - Indoor Use and the SiRF chipset pages. Enjoy...Posted 04/11Over the past few weeks I have been logging many hours of raw GPS data in preparation of a "GPS chipset Comparison" article, with GPS receivers using SiRF's IIe, XT1, XT2, SiRFstarIII, uNav, Sony, Garmin, Nemerix, etc...Since the task at hand is a bit daunting I have decided to add pages over time, and the first part is up, with already some unexpected findings in terms of perceived versus measured accuracy and sensitivity of the various chipsets. Click >>HERE<< for more.